Summary

Chapter 19 is the first chapter of the penultimate section of this book, titled “Rainy Season.” This section is told from the perspective of Moore’s mother, Mam. In Chapter 19, Mam opens with an explanation as to why she moved to New York in the first place, prior to the Liberian civil war. She had received a scholarship to get her Master’s degree at Columbia in New York and was overjoyed when Gus, her husband, supported her in the decision to take up the offer. She moves there in 1990 and immediately experiences fear and regret at leaving her family. Her first visit back results in similar pain, but she promises to visit when rainy season – summertime -- arrives in Liberia.

In Chapter 20, Mam describes the following New Year’s Day with her roommate Yasuka, a Japanese student and good friend. Yasuka tries to...